A more secure future through sustainability consulting

According to the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), Australia and New Zealand lead the way in the global real estate market in terms of sustainability.

The report analysed data from around 637 listed property companies and private equity estate funds, which covered around 56,000 buildings, finding that Australia and New Zealand are leading the way in terms of green builds.

Australia and New Zealand performed strongly in terms of regional green leaders, with 70% of the total participants in the highest group. Europe, Asia and the US all came in at less than half of that total score.

GRESB, established in 2008, was designed to assess the sustainability performance of the real estate sector, with its reporting becoming standard practice for most of the world’s property fund managers and companies.

Responding to the news, the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Chief Executive, Romilly Madew said: ‘Green building is arguably the world’s fastest growing industry – and Australia is leading the charge’.

Adding: ‘The report underscores our regional leadership in sustainability, and serves as a reminder of why Australia is one of the best real estate markets in which to invest. Australia’s real estate sector is demonstrating that it has a long-term commitment to sustainability that stretches far beyond this financial year or this electoral cycle.’

The GBCA was established back in 2002 to develop the sustainable property industry in Australia and encourage the adoption of green building techniques. Its two key objectives are to promote green buildings, technologies and design, as well as integrating green building initiatives into the mainstream. The main means of achieving these goals was the introduction of the Green Star rating system in 2003. Its rating tools have helped companies to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings, improving occupant health and productivity.

These last points are of particular importance to the commercial property sector. Not only does sustainable building have long-term benefits in terms of reduced emissions and running costs, but it can also increase employee well-being and productivity. According to some studies, a happier workforce can increase productivity by as much as 20%, while unhappy staff can lower it by around 12%.

So, sustainability consulting can increase the long-term security and success of your business. Something to think about for any future building projects. Although, as the GRESB report shows, it seems as if many Australian companies already seem to be implementing sustainable ideas into their building projects.